I had been riding around on a vintage roadie for a couple of weeks to try and get in shape however the 35 year old frame was a little too small for me and had developed a crack in the seat tube so I began the search for a new stead. Luckily the LBS was running out 2012 stock for about 30% off so I manages to pick up this Merida Ride Lite 93 for under a grand. The LBS were even kind enough to throw in a quality helmet as well!

This is my first foray into 10 speed and I had heard the Tiagra groupset was decent enough, while not light weight and as smooth shifting as 105 and up. Having owned the bike for a month I have nothing but praise for Merida and Tiagra. The bike is well set up and fits like a glove. The Tiagra shifts smoothly and had been 100% reliable. I prefer the slightly upright riding position that the longer head tube allows, so my back feels nice and relaxed even after a long ride. I've covered about 500km in that time, helping to improve my cardiovascular fitness and have even dumped a few kg. I like to think that I will shed more weight from my body than I ever could with a lighter frame or groupset. Once I am a more confident rider and have many thousand km's under my shortening belt I am sure I will upgrade to something a little more fancy but after my experiences so far and the excellent customer service from my LBS I am positive I will be moving up to a higher end Merida with 105 or Ultegra.

Massive shoutouts to Star Cycles at Elizabeth in South Australia for the excellent service!

Outstanding mate... I purchased my Sora equipped Ride lite 91 back in October and have put over 3,000 km on it already... It is a cracking good bike, and I imagine that 10 speed Tiagra would be just that bit nicer again!!!

My goal sounds similar to yours. I started 18 months ago and have lost over 23 kg's already.

This year, if I lose another 6 kg and put 10,000k on the bike, I am going to upgrade (as a reward) to one of those gorgeous Merida Scultura 907-E's... Lots of miles ahead of me thinking about that goal...

In the meantime, my 91 sounds a lot like your much better 93; a great piece of kit that is smooth to ride, super reliable and priced really really well !!!

Loving my Merida's and working towards adding a Pinarello to the stable... Go go go...

I recently got into my first roadie which is also the Merida Ride Lite 93 at similar pricing & I'm super happy with it!! I had test ridden a few others and as I'm only beginning I didn't see a lot of point in forking out heaps & heaps (not until I get to the stage that I can do an expensive bike justice!) I think this current ride will last a while, as I upgrade parts on it. I agree with the tiagra while not top end I've found it great. I think this was a very wise purchase! Cheers

While it's really an entry level model, I have been more than happy with it. After 12 months and over 5,000 km it has been very reliable. Apart from the usual punctures and wear parts (tyres, pads, chain etc) the only problem I have had with it is a broken shifter cable, but this was due to fair wear and tear. I have just ordered some new wheels for it but the stock Alexrims Race 24s have never missed a beat, and are still dead true.